“Of Course” Harjit Sajjan Liberal Candidate For Vancouver South & Ex VPD Detective-Constable with the Gang Crime Unit Supports Screening Federal Prisoners For ADHD

Update: 3 years later despite repeated asks for him to follow through on his promise, Harjit Sajjan, just like Justin Trudeau and all the other Federal Liberal Politicians who have promised to screen federal prisoners for ADHD, has broken his promise. No action taken. Please ask him to do so.

At the Justin Trudeau Rally Sept 10th in Vancouver, I asked Harjit Sajjan Liberal Candidate For Vancouver South (Twitter: @HarjitSajjan  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harjit.sajjan.7 )

Harjit Sajjan Supports Screening Federal Prisoners For ADHD photo

an Ex-Vancouver Police Detective-Constable with the Gang Crime Unit specializing in organized crime who was with the VPD for 11 years my question about screening federal prisoners for ADHD I’ve asked other federal politicians.

We ADHD adults are only 5% of the population, but we’re 4 to 9 times more likely to end up in jail than non-ADDers. 21% To 45% 0f Prisoners Have ADHD 15 Peer Reviewed Studies Show. Federal, provincial and municipal jails should screen prisoners for ADHD. See If He Outgrew It, What Is He Doing in My Prison?

Also, 20-30%+ addicts & alcoholics have ADHD studies show, ignoring and stigmatizing ADHD makes many of us self-medicate with drugs.

Harjit was also a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a combat veteran. He has deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and served three separate deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He is also a recipient of the Order of Military Merit, Officer,

So my question to Harjit Sajjan was given 21% To 45% 0f Prisoners Have ADHD 15 Peer Reviewed Studies Show, would you support screening prisoners in federal jails for ADHD?

Here’s his response.

“Of course. As a former police officer, I’d rather have prisoners go in and get rehabilitation where they get the right medical care so they don’t come out and re offend.”

Thanks, Harjit Sajjan for supporting screening prisoners in federal jails for ADHD. The economic costs alone of ignoring and neglecting ADHD are huge.

Hopefully, The Vancouver Police will also start screening prisoners in their jails for ADHD as well as RCMP start screening prisoners in BC provincial jails.

I’d rather governments diagnosed us before prison or before some of us self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. But BC and Canadian governments & the medical bureaucracy currently refuse to properly train medical professionals to diagnose ADHD in adults and kids. They neglect and stigmatize us.

So at least, we should screen people in jails. And give them comprehensive treatment, ADHD medication, (long acting ones so they won’t abuse them), therapy, advocacy etc.

A quarter of a century ago in Seattle Judge David Admire screened people convicted in his 2-3 year court for ADHD and also Learning Disabilities and gave them a choice of jail or comprehensive 14 week treatment program if convicted and if they had ADHD or LD. They got therapy, coaching, meds, advocacy etc.

The return to jail rate dropped from 68% to 29%. Vancouver’s drug court, last I checked, 25 years later still refuses to screen prisoners for ADHD. Sadly, nowhere in Canada does, as far as I know.

There is a huge need for properly trained doctors/psychiatrists/psychologists who can diagnose and treat ADHD, especially in BC. But BC Liberals killed the only public Adult ADHD clinic in BC after a year long wait list.

BC Greens & BC Conservatives have called to reopen the BC Adult ADHD Clinic, but the BC NDP refuses to.

 I’ve asked other federal politicians this question last election and two in this one.

List of those federal politicians who committed to screening prisoners in federal jails for ADHD

ADHD, Pete Quily, and the chilly April night Michael Ignatieff became prime minister The Georgia Straight.

Hedy Fry Liberal MP For Vancouver Centre Supports Screening Prisoners in Federal Jails for ADHD

Ujjal Dosanjh ex-BC Premier, ex BC Attorney General and Ex-Liberal cabinet minister and MP For Vancouver South Supports Screening Prisoners in Federal Jails for ADHD

Sukh Dhaliwal Ex-Liberal MP For Newton North Delta Supports Screening Prisoners in Federal Jails for ADHD

Of Course. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May’s Answer to my question Would She Support Screening Federal Prisoners For ADHD

Last federal election I asked then NDP Justice Critic, Don Davies if he’d screen for ADHD in federal prisons and he said yes. He showed he knew quite a lot about mental health & jails. Was very impressed.

During this year’s federal NDP’s only debate in Vancouver East nomination race I asked BC NDP MLA Jenny Kwan (who won the race & is now federal NDP candidate for Vancouver East) if she’d screen for ADHD in federal prisons and she said yes.

Read the excellent book ADHD and the Criminal Justice System Spinning out of Control by a former police Lieutenant for 17 years, an Adult Probation/Parole Officer for 5 years who has ADHD and is an ADHD coach with a board certified licensed clinical psychologist and professor of clinical psychology who’s a consultant on ADHD to the Illinois Criminal Justice System.

ADHD and the Criminal Justice System Spinning out of Control

 Please consider asking your local federal election candidate if they’d support screening federal prisoner for ADHD (tell them about the 21-45% of prisoners who have ADHD the 15 peer reviewed studies show first) and if they say yes let me know here in the comments.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *